


An Unexpected Confession

by penstrikesmidnight



Series: HQ!! Valentine's Weekend 2021 [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Getting Together, Love Confessions, M/M, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-12 23:40:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29392815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/penstrikesmidnight/pseuds/penstrikesmidnight
Summary: Oikawa is dumped right before his Valentine's date, and Ushijima decides to take him out instead. He wasn't planning on confessing to Oikawa, especially right after his break up, but here they were.
Relationships: Oikawa Tooru/Ushijima Wakatoshi
Series: HQ!! Valentine's Weekend 2021 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2159169
Comments: 11
Kudos: 68
Collections: HQ!! Writers Valentine's Weekend





	An Unexpected Confession

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Here's day one of the HQ!! Writers Valentine's Weekend! Not gonna lie, it's mostly become an Oikawa appreciation weekend lol. Prompts for today were falling in love/confession/first date.
> 
> Enjoy!

Ushijima was running back to the gym to grab his forgotten charging cord when he heard a slight sniffle coming from the locker room. He stopped, uncertain of whether he should investigate the noise or disregard it as the settling of an empty building, but when the sound came again, he felt it necessary to look into it. After all, if one of his teammates were ill or upset, he should try to help them in whatever way he could. 

When he peeked through the half-ajar door, he saw a tall, thin figure sitting on the floor, hunched over their phone. There were only the soft emergency lights on in the corners of the room, casting long shadows over everything. Oikawa’s face was painted in the harsh luminescence of his phone screen, making his cheeks hollow and his tears a glittery silver. 

Ushijima drew back, his heart suddenly beating hard and fast. His first instinct was to leave, to pretend he had not seen Oikawa in such a vulnerable state. They had been playing together for three years on the same team now, but he felt that he and Oikawa were still new in their...friendship. At least, Ushijima considered it a friendship. He wasn’t sure what Oikawa thought of their relationship, other than the fact that sometime in their second year of university he had stopped being unnecessarily rude to Ushijima every chance that he could. Sometimes, they even hung out together on the weekends. 

Ushijima padded as quietly as he could back to the gym, gathering his missing cord, taking his time to wrap it thoroughly and precisely. He couldn’t stop thinking about Oikawa, about how upset he looked as he stared down at his phone screen. Ushijima knew he was having problems with his boyfriend, that they had broken up a few weeks ago and only recently had tried to make it work again. Ushijima honestly couldn’t see what Oikawa saw in that man, who, from Oikawa’s accounts, seemed nothing more than flaky and selfish. But he supported all his teammates in their relationships, as long as they were healthy, even if he had had a crush on one of them since high school. 

He almost went home, leaving Oikawa his pride, but there was nothing very prideful about crying alone in a dark, empty locker room. So instead of going, Ushijima steeled himself and turned back, pushing the door open gently. 

Oikawa was still where he had been before, but he wasn’t crying anymore. It wasn’t hard for Ushijima to notice his puffy eyes and red nose though. 

“Oikawa,” Ushijima said when Oikawa made no move to look over at him. Oikawa closed his eyes for a few seconds, his expression settling into something like resignation. 

Ushijima approached him slowly, not wanting to alarm him. He was fairly certain that if Oikawa wasn’t so sad, he’d be snarling at Ushijima, which was fine. It was his coping mechanism, and Ushijima had learned not to take it too personally. In fact, he almost wished Oikawa would say something snide—that way, Ushijima would know he was okay. Oikawa almost always apologized afterward, even if his apologies were also something to be desired. Ushijima sat down cross-legged across from him when he didn’t speak.

“It’s fucking Valentine’s Day,” Oikawa finally spat out, dropping his head onto the wall behind him. “You’d think he’d at least have the decency to take me out to the dinner he boasted having reservations for before dumping me, especially because he’s the one who was begging to try and make this work again. It’s been less than two weeks and I...I trusted him...”

Ushijima had nearly forgotten it was Valentine’s Day. He wasn’t dating anyone at the moment, and he did not find it necessary to go out of his way to find a date for a single night, so he had no plans.

“I will take you to dinner,” Ushijima said, making up his mind on the spot. Oikawa stared at him, his big brown eyes even wider than usual with surprise. “I want to take you to dinner,” Ushijima amended, because he felt it was important for Oikawa to know he was not doing anything out of pity. That seemed like a distinction that Oikawa would care about. “For Valentine’s Day.”

Oikawa didn’t do anything except blink for a solid thirty seconds. Ushijima waited patiently. “Oh, what the hell,” Oikawa said, finally moving from his curled up position against the wall. Ushijima stood, offering his hand to Oikawa. Oikawa took it. As soon as he was on his feet, he let go, but Ushijima could still feel the imprint of his fingers on his skin.

Oikawa led the way out of the locker room. He looked very nice, Ushijima finally noticed, even with his workout bag still slung over his shoulder, in pressed black jeans and a green button down. His hair was freshly done as well. He must have been preparing to leave directly from practice. That’s probably why he had been the last one in the locker room.

The thought made Ushijima angry. How could someone be so heartless, calling off a special event just hours before it was going to happen? Especially to someone like Oikawa, who cared so deeply about his partners. Of course he had stayed late at practice and used the gym shower just to make sure he was on time for his date. He had probably taken his huge collection of styling products to practice just for this. 

Oikawa’s cheerful voice broke Ushijima out of his reverie. “Hi, yes, I just wanted to confirm that the reservation for Harada Kaito was still good for 6:30?” Ushijima watched as Oikawa smiled. “Perfect. We’re going to be about fifteen minutes early, is that going to be a problem? Excellent! See you soon.”

When Oikawa hung up, he was grinning triumphantly. “I don’t know if Harada had planned on dinner for one, or dinner with his newest side piece, but now it’s ours. We just need to beat him there.”

So that’s how Ushijima ended up at one of the fanciest restaurants in Sendai with Oikawa on Valentine’s Day, underdressed in his post-practice t-shirt and joggers. At least he had a nice jacket.

“What do you think about the new libero starting next semester?” Oikawa asked once their waiter had taken their drink order. Ushijima had studied the new players coming onto the team this year thoroughly, as he knew Oikawa had, and they began a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses they foresaw from their new additions.

About ten minutes into their conversation, there was a slight commotion at the host station. It wasn’t dramatic, but it was enough to draw Oikawa’s and Ushijima’s attention that way. Oikawa snickered, which is how Ushijima knew it must have been Harada, looking for his reservation. He watched in horrified respect as Oikawa waved cheerfully at his ex with a broad grin, whose face went through every expression between shocked and angry before he finally stormed away.

Ushijima couldn’t help it—he let out a soft laugh.

Oikawa turned his attention to him, his smug smile dropping off of his face. “That felt good, but I’m sure I’m going to hear all about it tonight. He deserved it.”

“Yes,” Ushijima said resolutely, “he did.”

Oikawa’s smile returned. Before either of them said anything more, their food was served and they both dug in. Ushijima could tell that Oikawa’s mood was slowly sinking again. He enjoyed his food as he waited for Oikawa to speak.

“The worst thing is that he’s not even wrong,” Oikawa finally said, taking a vicious bite of his food. “I _am_ obsessed with volleyball, and I will put my career first sometimes. But just because I want to be good at my job, because I want to make volleyball my job, doesn’t mean I’m not committed to a relationship. Both of those things can exist in my life, right?”

“Of course,” Ushijima said. “There are plenty of professional athletes who have successful relationships.”

“Well apparently _I_ am destined to be alone. It’s fate if your boyfriend dumps you on Valentine’s Day, right?”

“No,” Ushijima answered immediately, his voice so firm that Oikawa paused with his chopsticks in the air, mouth open. It was a slightly undignified look, but Ushijima didn’t say anything about it as he continued speaking. “You don’t deserve to be alone just because you were dating an asshole who was so selfish he couldn’t make another person happy on a holiday.”

Oikawa finally finished his bite of food. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you swear before, Ushiwaka-chan.”

“I don’t think you’ve ever seen me very angry,” Ushijima answered. "I try not to swear in front of the team."

“Are you angry? For little old me?” Oikawa raised his eyebrows. Ushijima looked down at his plate of food, methodically picking out his next bite. 

“How long have you liked me?” Oikawa asked suddenly.

Ushijima froze, his chopsticks halfway to his mouth. Oikawa’s lips quirked into a self-conscious smile. “I’m not dumb, Ushiwaka-chan. You wouldn’t have offered to come to dinner on a whim if you didn’t harbor some sort of feelings for me. It’s not like I’ve been the nicest person to you.”

“You have made an effort as of late,” Ushijima answered politely, because he didn’t want to make Oikawa feel worse than he already did, especially on Valentine’s Day. “But, to answer your question, I have liked you since high school. I sometimes wish I did not.”

“Ah, always the charmer, Ushiwaka-chan,” Oikawa said. “Truth be told, I wish I didn’t like you either.”

Ushijima put his chopsticks down. There were too many revelations happening for him to eat through them. “You...You don’t like me.”

Oikawa’s laugh was brittle. “Of course I do. I’ve probably liked you since high school too, but you were just so infuriating I refused to think about it. When I found out we were going to be on the same university team I almost cried. You’re intimidating, Ushiwaka-chan! I thought you would expect more from me than I could put out. I didn’t realize that you were actually just the most supportive volleyball obsessed idiot on the planet. It would have spared me a lot of angst and heartache if I’d just figured it out years ago.”

“Are you confessing to me?” Ushijima asked, bewildered. He didn’t know how the conversation had ended up here, but here they were.

“Hell no,” Oikawa responded, rolling his eyes. “You’re the one who invited me out to dinner on Valentine’s Day; you’re the one who gets to confess.”

“You’re the one who picked the venue,” Ushijima pointed out.

“Ushiwaka-chan, get to it, or I might change my mind,” Oikawa said sweetly.

Ushijima took a deep breath and spilled everything that he had ever thought about Oikawa between them. “Oikawa,” he said, instantly bringing gravity back to the table. Oikawa’s shoulders straightened, his gaze piercing as it met Ushijima’s. “I am glad that we got to spend Valentine’s together, even if it were under unfortunate circumstances. I admire you greatly. You have such resolution to you—you always know what you want, and how you are going to get it. I think you are tenacious and strong, beautiful and strong-willed. You deserve to be treated with the utmost respect and I would like to be the one in your life to show you all that appreciation.”

Oikawa’s chopsticks clattered against his plate as he dropped them. His mouth opens and closes a few times before he finally stutters out, “Ushi-Ushiwaka. You can’t just...You can’t just say that!”

Ushijima creased his eyebrows. “Was there something wrong with what I said?”

“No! God, no. It was perfect. Like you were proposing to me or something.”

“Well, I am proposing the first step toward an intimate relationship,” Ushijima answered.

Oikawa rolled his eyes. “Shut up before you ruin the moment. And...And I appreciate it. I didn’t...I didn’t realize you had such strong feelings for me.”

“You are someone worthy of those feelings,” Ushijima said immediately.

Oikawa’s cheeks turned red. He turned back to his food, taking a few bites. When it was clear that he wasn’t going to say anything any time soon, Ushijima turned back to his food as well. He thought that confession went rather well, even if Oikawa was having trouble processing it. 

The check came moments later. Ushijima watched as Oikawa smiled and chatted with their waiter, always so effortless with people. Another thing Ushijima admired about him. 

After bickering about who would pay the check (Ushijima ultimately won the battle, since he insisted he’d been the one to convince Oikawa to come out with him, even though Oikawa didn’t need much convincing), they made their way outside. The night air was chilly, and Oikawa tucked his chin into the collar of his jacket. He was so pretty, Ushijima thought, admiring the lines of his shoulders, the planes of his face. 

“So, I think I want to try this,” Oikawa said, breaking the silence between them. Ushijima watched him take a deep breath, let it out slowly. “We’re going to take it slow, because I just broke up with that asshole, but yes. I want this.”

Ushijima couldn’t help the smile that broke across his face. “You can set the pace, Oikawa. I am in no rush.”

“Tooru.” When Ushijima didn’t respond, Oikawa elaborated. “My name is Tooru. You should use it, Toshi-chan. And I’ll allow one Valentine’s Day kiss, but only because you didn’t get me roses or chocolates.”

Oikawa stepped closer to Ushijima. He wrapped his arms around his neck, tilted his head, and leaned in. Ushijima didn’t hesitate to press his lips against Oikawa’s. It was better than anything he could have imagined, having Oikawa here, in his arms, his lips firm against his. 

It was quick and chaste. When Oikawa pulled away, his eyes sparkled. “I can’t believe we’re so cliché that our first date _and_ our first kiss happened on Valentine’s Day.”

“It is a celebration of love,” Ushijima said. “And I am very happy that you have given me the opportunity to fall in love with you.”

Oikawa buried his face in Ushijima’s shoulder. “I didn’t realize you were so sappy, Toshi-chan.”

“I’m just being honest,” he answered, wrapping his arms around Tooru’s back, holding him close. “Would you like me to walk you home?”

Oikawa smiled at Ushijima. “Yeah, that would be great. Maybe you can come up and have a cup of tea?”

“I’d like that,” Ushijima said. Oikawa slipped his hand into Ushijima’s, and Ushijima liked the way it felt nestled with his. Oikawa began speaking, of school this time, and Ushijima listened to him quietly. He hadn’t expected to confess to Oikawa tonight, had not expected Oikawa to reciprocate his feelings, but now, with the prospect of more dates like tonight's, he was happy he took the chance.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments/kudos always welcome!
> 
> Socials in the profile!


End file.
